Causes for Needing Reading Glasses

There are a couple of conditions that cause a person to have difficulty seeing up close and so needing reading glasses. Visual difficulties may be present from birth or may develop as a person ages. In rare cases, particular eye diseasses cause the need for reading glasses.

Hyperopia

• Hyperopia is also known as farsightedness. It is characterized by difficulty focusing on objects up close. This is a common vision problem and is usually inherited. The cause of farsightedness is an eyeball that is too short or a cornea that is curved too little. When light rays enter the eyeball, they focus behind the retina, not on it. This causes nearby objects to appear blurry. A person with hyperopia may need reading glasses or may need to wear corrective lenses all the time.

Presbyopia

• A common reason for needing reading glasses is an age-related problem called presbyopia. A person that is over 40 may suddenly notice that she needs to hold reading material far away to bring it into focus. She may experience fatigue, headaches or eyestrain when working on crafts or other close work. A person with presbyopia may need bright light to focus at night.

  Presbyopia is caused by aging and most people experience it. According to the AllAboutVision website, presbyopia comes from a gradual thickening and loss of flexibility of the lens within the eye which occurs naturally during the aging process. Proteins within the lens make the lens more rigid. Since the lens is less flexible, the eye has a harder time focusing.

Comparison

• Both presbyopia and farsightedness allow a person to see distant objects clearly while they struggle to see objects up close. Hyperopia can occur at any age, while presbyopia is an age-related condition. Children sometimes grow out of hyperopia. Presbyopia appears to come on suddenly but actually develops gradually over the course of several years. Eyeglasses and surgical options are available to correct both conditions.

Eye Diseases

• Eye diseases sometimes cause difficulty reading and may lead to the need for reading glasses. According to the Mayo Clinic website, certain diseases can increase the risk of developing presbyopia prematurely. These diseases include multiple sclerosis and diabetes. Some medications such as diuretics and antidepressants can also affect the ability of the eye to focus on items up close. Other possible causes of needing reading glasses include lens dislocation or eye tumors.